Harry Potter and the Soul Sense
by Expecto-Prongs
Summary: After Lily and James die, they are faced with a choice… go onwards towards the next great adventure or stay on earth and help Harry with his. AU, Powerful Harry, Manipulative Dumbledore.
1. Chapter 1

**Warnings: This is AU! Some details are different than in the book in this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, and I don't make any money from the writing of this fanfiction. Purely for enjoyment only! :)**

Chapter One:

James Potter smiled at his family while absent mindedly swishing his wand back and forth. His son, Harry, giggled as a green ring of smoke lazily floated towards the ceiling.

"Gween!" he screeched, waving his fist wildly. His wife's eyes flashed with pride, a small smile playing on her lips. It was times like these James loved: sitting in front of the fire with the two people he loved most in life, laughing and forgetting their cares for a while. His one-year-old son, still adorably chubby was wedged in his mother's arms, was making a peculiar face that was a mix between a laugh and a yawn.

James remembered when Harry was born. It was the best day of his life. He never knew he could love anyone or anything as much as he loved his son. He was absolutely breathtaking when he was born: gasping his first breaths of life and looking like an endearing mix between Lily and himself.

_He has his mother eyes, _he thought fondly. His eyes drifted from his son to his wife, and he smiled to himself. She had a contented look on her face, her eyes drooping closed as she rocked Harry back and forth soothingly. Her face was flushed from the heat of the fire, and her piercing green eyes were carefully covered with her dainty eyelids. A curtain over a sparkling green backdrop. She was humming absently, and James identified it as the song they had danced to so many years ago, back when they were students at Hogwarts. He was surprised she still remembered the tune.

Harry's big, intelligent eyes stared at James, causing him to grin and wave his wand again. A miniature figure of a stag took shape and began galloping merrily around the room, earning another giggle from Harry. He squirmed in Lily's arms, trying vainly to touch the smoky figure.

"Sh Harry." She admonished halfheartedly before closing her eyes again. James sighed and looked at his tired wife and little son. He allowed himself to think back on recent events- having to quit his job as head auror to go into hiding, moving to Godric's Hollow without notice in the middle of the night, and being cut off from everyone but his closest friends. And then, Dumbledore's odd behavior, his steely stare whenever he contradicted him… it was slightly unnerving. But when he gazed upon his son's sleepy face, he resolved it was all worth it. He would do anything for his wife and son… even quitting the best job he'd ever had in his life. Besides, he was still getting visits from Sirius and Remus, and occasionally Peter.

Lily had gradually slowed her rocking of Harry until she was completely asleep. Harry began whining to go to bed too, and James mumbled in agreement. He puffed out one last waft of smoke ("Red," Harry murmured tiredly) and shook Lily gently awake. Her eyes drifted open leisurely and got up slowly.

"Ow, my back…" she complained.

"Lils, you're only 21." James laughed. Lily mock glared, but the effect was ruined by the giant yawn marring her features. James grinned mischievously and jumped out of his arm chair as if to prove his youth, only to hear his knees crack in protest. Lily didn't even bother to try to hide her derisive laughter. "Not a word," James scowled. Lily leaned over, giving James a quick, awkward kiss while still holding Harry. James scowl melted. "Not fair Lily. I can't even stay mad at you." Lily grinned smugly.

"You love me."

"I know…" James sighed.

Harry ignored the couple's banter, instead he stared curiously out the open window, a sudden breeze rustling the previously still curtains. Harry cocked his head before happily pronouncing, "Black!"

"Black?" Lily asked, confused. James peered out the window before making a small choking sound. The black Harry saw came from the figure rapidly enclosing on their supposedly safe house. The loose robes billowed menacingly behind him, and a hood shadowed his face. Nevertheless, it was apparent who was making the unwelcome night call. Lord Voldemort. James watched, frozen, as the Dark Lord brandished his wand, slowing his gait slightly, as to cherish the moment. Moments later, the door exploded.

Splinters flew across the previously immaculate living room, flying into furniture like deadly daggers. One embedded itself into James' hand, causing him to drop his wand in shock. He watched helplessly as it rolled away from him, stopping beneath the massive glass cabinet Lily kept her china in. He didn't have time to grab it. He had to face the most powerful dark wizard of all time _without a wand. _Voldemort stepped gracefully through the door, taking in his surroundings… as if he was relishing in their imminent downfall.

"Lily!" James yelled desperately, cradling his maimed hand. "Take Harry and run!" Lily didn't need to be told twice. She held her son even closer to her chest, running up the stairs taking two steps at a time. James turned towards Voldemort and was determined to prolong his loved one's lives, if only for a couple minutes. He didn't have a wand, but he put himself in the dark wizard's path regardless. Voldemort looked to be on the verge of laughter, but he retrained himself. Only a smirk revealed his amusement.

"Hold _me _off without a wand? You really are pathetic Potter." He said maliciously. "Avada Kedavera." It was as though he was bored with the situation, like he was squashing an insignificant fly. James met the curse head on, and dropped lifelessly to the ground as the green light enveloped him. His glasses were knocked eschew with the force of his fall.

James Potter was dead. He was aware his heart had stopped beating, but tried to stand up anyways. To his surprise, he got up unrestrained. His surprise soon turned to horror as he saw himself, dead, on the floor beneath him. He looked at his hands and saw that they were translucent. Was this what happened when you died? He took a cautious step away from his own body and felt a peculiar tugging.

Voldemort looked at James disinterested, unaware of the soul that was making its way out of the corpse. Chuckling at how easy it was to murder the auror, he leisurely started up the stairs. After all, who he had really come for was Harry James Potter…

James watched as Voldemort turned away from his corpse and made his way towards Harry's bedroom. Before he could do anything, he heard a voice coming from no where in particular. That was weird. He looked around, but no one was there. The tugging he felt grew more intense. Something was pulling him up…

"James…" the voice said. It did not explain anything, and yet James knew what he was supposed to do. It was time for him to go…

But then, he heard a familiar voice through the fog in his head. It broke him out of the trance he had fallen into. It was his wife, Lily.

"No! No! Not Harry, please not Harry!"

James began to panic. The celestial voice echoed for him to come, but he couldn't leave his family.

"No…" he hissed resolutely. He made his way towards the stairs, to his family. He felt as though he was walking against a deep current of water, but he used every bit of strength he had to climb up the stairs towards Harry's room. His wife's hysterical begging and the celestial voice blended together to create a haunting chant. It took forever to fight against the pull, but he finally ran into Harry's room. Lily had her arms spread wide, protecting a confused Harry. His green eyes stared at Voldemort curiously, unaware of the danger the man presented. The Dark Lord finally had enough of Lily's pleading and killed her with a casual flick of his wand.

"NO!" James screamed, unheard and dead to the world. "No, no, no, no…" he saw his wife, his beautiful Lily fall to the ground. Moments later he gazed in awe as his wife's soul climbed out of the body, eyes still streaming with tears. She looked up and began to rise with the current, the one James so desperately fought against.

"Lily!" he hissed at her, and she blinked a few times before her glassy eyes rested on James. Her face flashed in recognition before she too began to fight against the pull.

"Harry," she whispered brokenly, watching helplessly as the monster known as Voldemort raised his wand, a sick smile twitching his features. Lily was soon grounded, and she held on to James as they both watched the scene before them with dread.

Harry had begun to cry, and Voldemort's smile was replaced with a grimace, then a snarl. He had always hated the crying brats at the orphanage. So, with twisted pleasure, he spoke the words that he had uttered so many times before. Lily and James held their breath as the fateful green light sped towards their only son. The curse hit straight on, and four pained screams rented the night air, two heard and two not. The house exploded, and James and Lily were launched backwards. Black smoke coiled out of Harry's room. James was shocked and confused as his world faded to black. His last coherent thought was,

"Harry's alive."

**Hello Everyone! I have decided that I am very, very inundated with different plots for different fandoms. It's quite distracting… it makes it hard to update. So, I will publish all of the stories I have in mind and then update all of them (or try).**

**Updated: 11-5-12**


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, here we go… Chapter 2. Please excuse the clichés. PLEASE.**

**Thanks to sertry, Luiz4200 and loretta537 for the reviews! :)**

**ONWARDS!**

James Potter and his wife Lily, recently deceased, lay prone in the sand of an endless beach. Water lapped infinitely at their ankles, but it caused no discomfort. They lay there for a long time, not aware, not remembering, just sleeping. The tide did not come in or go out. It stayed at the same level for eternity. But the Potters didn't know that. They didn't know anything at the moment. But that was soon about to change.

Lily was the first to wake. She became conscious slowly, her eyes fluttering open and then closed. The light made her pupils contract painfully. Open, close, open, close. Each time she opened her eyes, things became clearer. She saw James. He was about five feet away, still unconscious.

James awoke right after Lily saw him. It didn't take long for him to gather his thoughts.

_Harry's alive… Harry's alive…_

It repeated like a comforting mantra in his head. But how? And where was he? Was this… the afterlife?

Someone laughed nearby.

"No, James. This is the crossroads."

He didn't recognize the voice. He slowly lifted his head and met the gaze of a young woman. She was smiling at him gently. Her eyes were a pale blue gray, and her hair was long and brown. It cascaded delicately over her shoulders. She had fair skin, it was unnaturally flawless. Her features were sharp, but it didn't make her look severe. It made her look wise and noble. James decided it was safe to ask questions. The lady didn't seem to mean any harm.

"Who are you? And why are you here?" Amusement glittered in her eyes.

"Why, I am your escort. As for why I am here, well… it only seemed fair that I would be the one, seeing as your son is to be in my house."

James heard a gasp beside him.

"Why, you're Rowena Ravenclaw! Harry! Harry's going to be in Ravenclaw…Harry's alive!"

"Yes," Rowena sighed deeply. She suddenly looked much older than a couple moments ago. "Harry is alive and well. But there is much to be explained."

James and Lily exchanged a look. Rowena waited patiently before them, before motioning them softly with her hand. "Come."

The Potters understood. It was of vital importance that they follow this woman. So they did. They got up and wiped the sand off their clothes, shockingly their pants weren't wet where the water had been brushing against them. Without a word, they followed the wisest founder of Hogwarts.

She walked about three paces in front of them, and they took their time to look around. They were heading away from the water, towards a vast forest. The trees were tall and ancient, and inside was pitch black, but James and Lily were not afraid. They only felt peace and contentment. After about a mile of walking through the woods, Ravenclaw stopped.

They were at a clearing, and three people were waiting for them. One was a stout shorter woman who had smile lines on her face. Lily assumed that she was Hufflepuff. There was a man, tall and muscular. He had a boyish look to his face, but eyes that had seen too much. James identified him as Gryffindor. And the last was middle height, with black hair and prominent cheekbones. He looked aristocratic, but not haughty. Both Lily and James knew that this was Slytherin.

"You," James growled. "What is _he _doing here?" Surprisingly, it was Gryffindor who spoke up.

"Like it or not, Mr. Potter, he is a founder of Hogwarts. Please refrain from disrespect." His tone didn't allow any leeway. James swallowed.

"My humble apologies," James said, casting his eyes towards the ground. "You just look like…"

"It is I who should apologize to you, Mr. Potter," the smooth voice of Salazar cut in. "The heir of Slytherin, Tom Marvolo Riddle," he spat the name, "who likes to call himself Voldemort, _the fool, _is a disgrace to the line. He has done a great disservice to you." The founder cast his eyes low, a sign of repentance.

"It is not your fault Salazar," Hufflepuff spoke for the first time. "There is evil everywhere, and not even the noble line of Slytherin can escape it."

"I don't quite understand," Lily spoke up, "didn't you build the Chamber of Secrets?"

All of the founders winced.

"Actually," Rowena said, "That was _all _of our ideas."

"You see, the basilisk is guarding great knowledge. Books from Merlin, long forgotten spells, secrets from the past. We were greedy and hid it away. Only one of our heirs could access the knowledge." Gryffindor explained regretfully.

"Any of our heirs could access it, not just one of Slytherin's. But it just so happened Tom Riddle discovered it first." Ravenclaw lamented.

"He didn't even know what the basilisk was hiding. He just used her as a weapon to kill Muggleborns."

"But," James flustered, "You're evil! You hate Mudbloods and Muggles!"

Slytherin looked very sad for a moment before looking to Godric.

"Ah yes, well, the rest of us sort of… made that up?" Gryffindor was rubbing the back of his neck, shooting apologetic looks towards Slytherin.

"When we started taking heat about the idea of having a monster in the depths of Hogwarts well, we sort of pinned it on Slytherin. With his parseltongue, it was an easy lie for everyone to swallow. The rest is history, unfortunately."

"The past is the past," Slytherin interjected graciously. "Right now we are here to discuss the fate of Harry James Potter." The four founders looked up towards Lily and James.

"The road ahead of Harry is going to be very difficult," Hufflepuff said softly. "It could either make him a great wizard or it could utterly destroy him. He shall either be our savior or downfall."

"Which path he will go down, we cannot say. Nothing is written in stone. The future is uncertain." Ravenclaw murmured.

"He will be placed with Lily's Muggle sister, Petunia Dursley. Dumbledore will place him there despite others' objections."

"How can this be?" James protested. "I have magical relatives in Wales he could live with! Dumbledore knows this!"

"We cannot read his motives," Gryffindor cautioned, "But it is easy to see he is not to be trusted. He is not the man you think he is."

"But, that still leaves one thing," Lily reasoned. "How is Harry still alive?"

"We cannot say." Slytherin said. "But we can tell you this: the killing curse cast upon him by Voldemort has unlocked something within the boy. A great power that the Dark Lord knows not."

"But all power comes with a price," Hufflepuff interjected. "The boy will never again be able to speak."

"Oh Harry," Lily cried. She buried her face in her hands and sobbed, cries violently shaking her shoulders.

"But there is good news. I told you earlier this is the crossroads, and so it is." Ravenclaw said reverently. "You have shown great courage in defying Death, even for only a moment. Not many can withstand Death's pull."

"You have been granted a choice. Go onwards towards the next great adventure," Gryffindor waved his hand, and a path appeared to the left. "Or stay on earth and help Harry with his." A path appeared to right.

"But!" Ravenclaw stopped them with her arm. "There is something you must know of the power the Dark Lord knows not. Harry has unlocked within himself a great power, one previously unknown to mankind. This is the Soul Sense. He has extraordinary power over the sections of his being. His mind, his aura and his soul."

"What does this mean?" James asked softly.

"We know for sure." Slytherin said gently. "It is for you and your son to find out. But be wary of Albus, do not trust him."

"Harry will teach you not all light is light and dark is dark." Ravenclaw removed her arm. "Only Harry will see you, and be able to talk to you. It will be a lonely existence."

"I will do anything for my son." James said resolutely.

"Very well. Best of luck." The founders vanished, leaving the two paths. James and Lily clasped hands, walking slowly towards the path containing a future with their only son.

-HPSS-

Back on earth, Albus Dumbledore walked upon the rubble of the Potter house, looking for the corpses of Lily, James and Harry. They had been such devout soldiers for the light… it was a shame to lose them. Especially when their son was destined to be the one to vanquish the Dark Lord. At least there was still the Longbottom boy.

It didn't take long to find James' body. Dumbledore flicked his wand, and the body levitated and floated morbidly behind him. He soon found Lily too, and she joined her husband, creating a macabre sight. When he finally found Harry, Dumbledore gasped in surprise. The Potter boy, he was still alive!

Albus picked the baby up gently, stroking the matted black hair soothingly.

_Harry's Alive… Harry's Alive… _It sounded in his head like a battle cry. Albus smiled as the boy opened his eyes.

"Harry, my boy, there are great things in your future." Harry's blinked, showing off his electric blue eyes.

_Blue eyes…? _The headmaster thought. _It must be a side effect from surviving the killing curse. _He smiled again, dismissing the color change. He looked the boy over gently, looking for any signs of harm. It was then that Dumbledore's smile vanished.

"What's this?" he asked quietly, tracing the lightning bolt scar of Harry's head. That wasn't supposed to happen. Not in the Potter line.

_Perhaps… _Yes, it all made sense now. Lily must have been born from a long line of Squibs, not Muggles. Dumbledore frowned. What was he to do about this little… development? He couldn't let it go unconstrained… that would be most unfortunate. People of this type were not moldable, and often moved to live as hermits. Dumbledore needed Harry here, safe by his side. He could not let this happen. So, he did the only thing he could do.

Summoning his entire magical prowess, the headmaster closed his eyes. He probed at Harry's magical core with his magic.

_Ah, there it is. _He thought smugly. With a little shove he put up a magical block, tying down the rogue magic gene. He poured large amounts of magic into it, until he himself was beginning to feel magical fatigue. _That should be enough. _When he opened his eyes, Harry's scar was agitated, a bit of blood trickling down. Dumbledore hastily wiped it away with his sleeve. There. Time to go to the Dursley's now…

**THIS WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO WRITE. SO MUCH INFORMATION! I think my writing suffered a bit, but I had to cram so much in there that, well, I can't help it. Please review, I appreciate it! Thanks for all the story alerts and favorites! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Wow! So many reviews! I can't even believe it! Thank you flowerlvr2396, Luiz4200, stormingnight, chubbybunny96, Cassandra30, Quetzalcoatls, and Penny is wise for the comments!**

**To clear something up… James and Lily DO NOT KNOW Dumbledore did something to Harry. They were on their way back to earth when it happened. Also! Dumbledore did not magically block Harry's 'Soul Sense'… it's something else that will come back to haunt us all in… say… Harry's fourth year. Okay? Okay! Thanks for your patience. ONWARDS!**

"**Talking"**

'**Sign Language'**

_**Thinking**_

…

Chapter 3:

July 31, 1986

Lily Potter, deceased, sat next to her sleeping six year old son, lightly stroking his hair. James Potter, also deceased, sat outside of Harry's cupboard, back against the door. He was running his hands through his hair habitually. He craned his neck, peering up the stairs, keeping watch to warn Lily when Vernon was coming. It was his son's sixth birthday today, and James wanted to do something special for once. Every year, Harry's birthday was ignored, or worse, punished with no food for the day. He got little enough already, he looked more like a wraith than a healthy boy.

The first few years, Lily despaired. They were Harry's only friends; everyone at his school gave him a wide berth due to Dudley's threats. Harry never seemed to mind though, and simply smiled when someone commented on how he couldn't speak or how he was an orphan. He never seemed to care. But Lily and James saw Harry's private tears and silent sobs.

The first few years, James was furious. He wanted so badly to help his son, to get revenge on Petunia and Vernon for their neglect and cruel words. He wanted to help Harry with all of his chores, but his hand slipped over and over through the handle of the broom. Harry gave him an understanding smile. James nearly broke down.

But now, things were looking up. The Potters were survivors, they adapted to their hardships. Lily, James, and Harry learned sign language together. They comforted Harry when he just couldn't hide the pain inside, and they introduced Harry to the Wizarding World.

Dumbledore never once checked up on Harry.

If he had, he would have noticed that Harry was extremely adaptive, and a very fast learner. When his first signs of magic appeared very early in his childhood, he learned to manipulate it to his advantage. He learned how to put his hand up to his cupboard door and unlock it with sheer will when he was too hungry to stand it anymore. He learned to close his eyes real tight to clean up accidental messes so the Dursleys wouldn't get mad. And he learned how to make himself invisible to hide from Dudley, or to prank him.

If Dumbledore had checked up on Harry, he would have noticed something else, too. Harry's eyes flicked between colors sometimes. One day they were blue, the next they were brown. Harry couldn't control it, and doctors were baffled. They diagnosed it as a rapidly mutating gene. Nothing could have been further from the truth.

James, Harry and Lily had worked out it probably had to do with the fact he had survived the killing curse. They also worked out that they would have to hide it from Dumbledore.

Now, Harry was turning six, and James was still watching out for the tell tale heavy thumps on the stairs. Lily was stroking Harry's hair as he slept. And everything was peaceful.

The plan was simple. On Harry's birthday, every year, he was locked in his cupboard for the entire day while the Dursleys went out. James and Lily planned to get Harry up as soon as they left, and take him out to Diagon Ally for his first view of the Wizarding World. They would have the whole day. James beamed at the thought. A whole day of fun and magic. Lord knows the kid needed it.

Suddenly, James heard the door to the master bedroom open upstairs. He quickly glided through the door to Harry's cupboard.

"Lily," he whispered. She looked up, a smile on her face. The Dursleys were leaving earlier than usual.

"Is it time?" she whispered back, not wanting to wake Harry.

"Yeah, I just heard Vernon leave his room. He's about to wake Dudley."

Lily smile turned into a grin. She looked down at Harry and gently shook his shoulder.

"Happy Birthday Harry!" she said, still shaking his shoulder. Harry woke quickly, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. His grin was blinding.

'Morning!' he signed. It had been weird at first; not being able to hear the tones in Harry's voice, but Lily and James became adept at reading his facial expressions. Right now, his smile was so wide it looked as though it might hurt. Thumping was heard above the small cupboard, and a bit of dust fell from the ceiling. Footsteps made their way towards the closet, before stopping in front of it.

"Boy, we're leaving for the day. Don't expect us back before ten o clock tonight." The steps made their way away, towards the front door, soon followed by two others. The door opened and shut, leaving the Potters alone.

"You ready Harry?" James was grinning too. Harry nodded and placed his hand on the door. He closed his eyes, his face scrunched in concentration. Moments later, a small click was heard on the other side as the door unlocked.

"That never gets old," James laughed.

"It really is amazing Harry." Lily said thoughtfully. "I never could do stuff to that magnitude when I was your age." Harry shrugged before pushing the door open. He took a tentative step out, but there were no sounds. The Dursleys really were gone. James and Lily followed Harry out of the cramped space. Together they made their way outside.

"Come on Harry, let's get you something to eat." James said, ruffling his son's hair. Harry nodded as they walked towards the street.

"Remember what we taught you Harry," Lily said gently. "Close your eyes and focus on you magical core." This was all theoretical, of course. Lily didn't know anything about the type of magic her son preformed. There had never been a wizard who could see their magical core, but somehow Harry could. It was the reason he was so adept at magic, even without a wand. The small boy closed his eyes and focused in on his core, prodding it gently towards his arm. It tingled as it made its way toward his hand. When Harry thought he was ready, he opened his eyes and stuck his hand straight above his head. With a loud bang, the Knight Bus appeared right in front of Harry's outreached arm. The door opened violently and a middle aged man stared owlishly out at Harry. He noticed immediately that Harry didn't have a wand. He couldn't see Lily or James.

"Young man?" he spoke with a thick accent. Harry nodded and made his way onto the bus. The man narrowed his eyes and looked at Harry. "They get younger and younger, I swear." He muttered to himself. Harry reached into the pocket of his baggy, worn out clothes and pulled out a crumpled five dollar bill. "Muggle money?" the man said, clearly surprised. Harry winked at him and made a hand motion that looked like a diagonal line. "So, going to Diagon Ally, are we?" Harry grinned, and nodded. "Alright then young man. Take a seat." Harry bowed slightly in thanks before walking quickly towards the back of the bus.

There were people staring at him. It wasn't usual that a young boy would be walking about alone in the Wizarding World. Things like that just don't happen. Luckily, none of them recognized him as the Boy-Who-Lived. Harry took pains to cover his scar with his unruly black hair. It didn't stick up like James', so he wasn't recognizable in that sense, either. Harry's eyes were blue today, eliminating the chance people would recognize him from his mother's eye color. He just looked like a normal, maybe a bit too thin boy off the streets.

'I can't believe that worked,' Harry signed to his parents.

"I knew it would!" James said pompously. Lily rolled her eyes and Harry chuckled. He was on his way to Diagon Ally.

**A bit of filler, I'm afraid. Background info, etc. etc. Next chapter, Harry at Diagon Ally. I promise! Thanks to everyone who added me to their alerts and favorites. Much obliged! Don't forget to review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for the delay everyone. I wanted this chapter to go a certain way, but it wouldn't listen to me! Arghhhh... I tried to write this on three separate occasions before just settling for letting the plot go where it wants to go. I am updating all of my stories as regularly as I can, but I have four stories going at once, all in different fandoms.**

**On a side note, this story, even though it's an AU, is following the actual timeline of the books for the most part. That means Harry won't meet Sirius until the third book, sorry.**

**Thank you to Quetzalcoatls, Luiz4200, Rainbow2007, Dark Neko 4000, Penny is wise, Cassandra30, JTFLAM, iwastheexample, mollyisyourgirl, and god of all for your reviews! It means loads to me! Also thanks for all the alerts and favorites.**

**"Talking"**  
**'Sign Language'**  
_**Thinking**_

Harry was practically bouncing with excitement by the time the Knight Bus finally stopped with a loud bang. He almost bowled three innocent bystanders over in his rush to get out into his first taste of the magical world. James laughed at his son's antics and followed Harry out of the bus, making faces at disgruntled passengers. Lily rolled her eyes and stayed a couple steps behind her husband, as if she were embarrassed to be with him. It was times like these that they could almost forget that nobody could see them.

When Lily and James finally made it out of the crowded bus, they joined their son who was patiently waiting a couple of feet away. Harry's eyes were a vibrant shade of violet, indicating his excitement. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, feeling his magic rumble contentedly in the presence of other witches and wizards. When he opened his eyes again, James was already walking towards a building called the Leaky Cauldron. Lily smiled down at her son and took his hand.

'Is that how we get to Diagon Alley?' Harry signed excitedly.

"Yes it is! Merlin, you're going to love it Harry!" James called excitedly over his shoulder. Harry grinned and broke out into a run to catch up with his father. He pushed the door open and made his way inside the crowded room. Dozens of wizards and witches were eating and drinking, paying the slight boy no mind. If only they had known it was the Boy Who Lived, they would probably be climbing over each other to get to him. Fortunately none of them suspected of anything and Harry was able to make it to the back of the pub without incident. They exited through the back and made their way towards the brick wall that served as an entrance into the wizarding community.

'How am I supposed to get in without a wand?' Harry signed, worrying his lip anxiously. Lily reassured him by mussing his inky black hair.

"I'm sure you can get in the same way you summoned the Knight Bus, just focus Harry." Nodding solemnly, Harry closed his eyes and rested his hand on the wall. For a moment, nothing happened, but then there was a slight breeze and the wall suddenly opened to reveal the colorful Diagon Alley. James shot his son a proud look and Harry beamed.

"Alright you," James said with a twinkle in his eye. "Off to Gringotts to get some spending money!" Lily tugged on James' shirt and he turned towards her.

"James, we have to think about doing something about Harry's eyes. It'll be suspicious if he walks about with eyes that change colors." Harry overheard his mother's concerned talking and entered the conversation.

'Is there some sort of ritual we could do?'

Lily paused for a second, thinking over her options. She was naturally gifted at potions, but she could not make the potion for Harry as a ghost. Also, the ritual she was considering was borderline dark because it left a scar in its wake. Severus had taught it to her back when they were friends... she hastily turned her thoughts away from the potion's professor, her heart clenching painfully when she thought of their broken friendship.

"There is one ritual I can think of Harry," Lily said cautiously, beginning to walk through the crowds. "But it's dangerous if you mess it up. It involves making a potion."

"He can do it!" James said confidently. "He makes stuff for the Dursley's all the time, and cooking is kind of like potion making, right?" Lily snorted.

"No wonder you were so bad at potions. You would have failed without me." James turned red and looked down at Harry, who was silently laughing behind his hand. James glared at Harry with no effect.

"We'll figure it out later," James said, a little miffed. "We're almost to Gringotts." They walked in companionable silence until they reached the formidable Wizarding Bank. Harry, Lily, and James walked up the steps and paused briefly in front of the tall doors. Lily leaned down to talk to her too thin, six year old son.

"Listen Harry, this is very important. There are creatures inside called Goblins, they are a very intelligent magical beings. They demand respect, so be on your best behavior, all right young man?" Harry nodded at his mother, recognizing the serious tone in her voice. James rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet impatiently until Harry finally opened the doors. When he did, he took a tentative step in, taking in all of the wonderful sights around him. The ceilings were arched magnificently and there were magical creatures everywhere.

_Goblins_, Harry reminded himself. Behind him, Lily and James shared delighted looks. One of the odd creatures stepped towards the rag tag group and Harry respectfully inclined his head. The goblin looked shocked, and then pleased.

"Can I help you?" he asked pleasantly. Harry surreptitiously looked at his invisible parents out of the corner of his eye, and saw them nod encouragingly.

'I would like to make a withdrawal.' he hesitantly signed, nervous the goblin wouldn't be able to understand sign language. To his surprise, the goblin hardly even seemed phazed.

"Of course. Follow me." The creature turned away and made his way towards a desk off to the side. Harry followed him, feeling much more confident. The goblin sat in a chair and motioned Harry to do the same. Once they were both seated, the goblin got down to business.

"My name is Griphook," the goblin said gruffly. "Your name is..." he trailed off, taking out a quill and parchment.

'Harry Potter.' The only noticeable reaction Griphook gave was a slight narrowing of his eyes, but other than that he seemed unaffected.

"Welcome to Gringotts, Mr. Potter." Griphook said quietly, seeming to know Harry didn't want to attract attention. For a couple of moments, only the scratching of the quill could be heard. Finally, the goblin looked up at his client. "Mr. Potter, I'm sure you wouldn't mind me taking a bit of blood to verify your identification?" The boy shook his head, accepting the silver knife and vial Griphook offered him. He cut his wrist shallowly, letting his blood fill the container. After the vial was full, the wound healed itself instantly. Griphook took the blood and poured it onto a piece of parchment. He then waved his hand over the blood and it faded, Harry's family tree replacing it. The name Harry Potter was highlighted. Griphook nodded and the parchment turned to ash and then disappeared. "Mr. Potter. Before we take you to your vault, we would like to update you on the state of your finances and guardian." Harry nodded his assent and the goblin continued. "After your parents died," James stuck his tongue out at Griphook but the action went blissfully unnoticed. "your next of kin was listed as your godfather, Sirius Black. But he was soon thereafter imprisoned, and Albus Dumbledore took responsibility over you." James looked sad at the thought of his best friend rotting in Azkaban. Lily rested a comforting hand on his shoulder, and whispered into his ear.

"I know he's innocent James, but there's nothing we can do to get him out in this state. We just have to wait until he figures a way out, and you know he will." James didn't look any happier, but for the sake of his son, he dispelled his sadness for a different time. He would have to inform Harry about his godfather's situation later.

Griphook continued, unaware of the ghosts silently conversing behind his client. "As your guardian, he has access to some of your assets. Your monetary assets he has access to, but not any of your properties." Harry felt a mix of shock and anger. His small fists clenched in retaliation of the unfairness of it all. Dumbledore, the man who left him for dead in the neglectful care of the Dursley's could dip into his funds? His magic thrummed hotly through his body, warming him from his fingers to his toes. Only when an expensive vase exploded violently next to him did he notice how out of control he was getting. It drew in his parents' attention as well. Harry's eyes grew wide with guilt.

'Mr. Griphook, I am so sorry.' he signed rapidly. He closed his eyes and waved his hands over the shards, which shook a little before flying back together as if nothing had happened.

"It is quite alright Mr. Potter," the goblin said calmly, though his eyes were wide with surprise. It was not usual for such a young wizard to display such control over Magic. "Shall we continue?" Harry took a couple breaths and nodded.

'Yes. I just couldn't believe that he had access to my money without my permission.' There was a pause before Harry signed another question. 'Did he take any of it?'

"He took out a bimonthly balance of 1,750 galleons to pay to your aunt and uncle." Griphook read from a transaction receipt bluntly. "That translates into 8,750 pounds in Muggle money. 8,750 pounds every two months gives the Dursleys 52,500 pounds a year for your care." For a moment, Lily and James were afraid of another violent outburst, but instead Harry seemed to fold in on himself.

'They practically starve me, they tell me I'm a burden and lucky that they take me under their roof... and all the while they were being paid for it?' Harry's hands were shaking as he signed this, and Griphook gave his a sympathetic look. Well, as sympathetic as a goblin could get.

"If it is any consolation, Mr. Potter, it doesn't even dent the vast fortune your parents left you." Harry shook his head and said nothing. His eyes were puffy and a bruised blue color. Sighing, the goblin continued, pretending he couldn't see the young boy's obvious distress. "I can make it so he cannot take anything more out without your consent, but it would be unwise to cancel the bimonthly withdrawal to the Dursleys." Harry nodded Griphook took out an acid green quill. "If I could get you to sign here." Harry took the quill and signed his name on a sheet negating Dumbledore's claim over his funds. The back of his hand itched and stung a bit, and his signature came out in blood. It was mildly uncomfortable, but it stopped after only a moment.

'Thank you Mr. Griphook. One last question. You mentioned property?'

The goblin nodded in assent. "The Potter line has three properties to its name. One vineyard and mansion in Italy, a cottage in Ireland and a bed and breakfast in America." Harry filed this information away for later contemplation.

'Thank you. May I take out money now?'

"You may. We're going to go down to your vault, number 687 to retrieve the money. If you would follow me?"

As Harry got up, Lily and James fell in step with him, one on either side protectively. They climbed into the cart and made their way down through the maze of vaults. Harry could have swore they passed by a real live dragon, but they were going too fast to really see. Lily and James were oddly silent as they the cart twisted and turned roughly, stewing in the outrage of new found knowledge. How could they have trusted Dumbledore so much?

As they passed under a waterfall that Griphook explained dissolved disguises and negated the Imperious, Harry felt the water fizzle as it hit his skin. Something inside his magical core shifted, and wind blew through the cavern ominously. Griphook looked back at his client curiously, but refrained from saying anything. It was true that the water sometimes uncovered magical traits as well as disguises, but it rarely happened. He turned back forward and dismissed the weird gust of wind to the speed of the cart, but did not forget it. He would think about it for many nights in the next coming weeks, wondering if this boy was something more than the Chosen One of wizard kind.  
**  
I will try to update this more frequently. Sorry if this was a bit boring, it tends to happen when I write late at night/early in the morning. Don't forget to review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I feel really guilty that I didn't update this sooner. I can't even believe the response to this story! Over a hundred followers! Wow! :D**

**Thanks to Rainbow2007, god of all, Luiz4200, ultima-owner, Dr Stranger, Penny is wise, bensdad, and Cassandra30 for the reviews! It means a lot to me! (Google Docs is trying to tell me that "a lot" is not two words, I know for a fact that it is...) Without further ado, your chapter, dear readers.**

**"Talking"**  
**'Sign Language'**  
**Thinking**  
_**:Parseltongue:**_

Harry knew as soon as he exited Gringotts, pockets jingling with new found wealth, that something had changed within him. As he looked about at all of the witches and wizards passing by him, he caught glimpses of colors floating around their persons. If he focused on a particular person, the colors became more specific and intricate, like an elaborately woven tapestry with many different threads. Harry was both fascinated and a bit afraid.

Lily noticed her son had stopped walking and looked back at him, only to see him gazing around him as if seeing the world for the first time. Something was off. Nudging James, she turned back towards her frozen son and kneeled in front of him.

"Something wrong Harry?" she asked quietly, trying to keep the worry out of her tone. Harry's eyes were a startling shade of violet as they roved around the street. "Harry?" she tried again, shaking his shoulders lightly. That seemed to snap him out of it.

'Mom,' he signed shakily, eyes melding into a more subdued indigo. 'There's colors floating around everyone. What's wrong with them?' Lily furrowed her eyebrows and frowned lightly. She looked back to where Harry was looking, but all of the people looked the same as others. James decided to join the conversation.

"Colors? What kind of colors Harry?"

'Like blue, purple and green... and a grey one over there.' Harry signed, then pointed towards a sad looking woman.

James looked deep in thought, and Lily cast her husband a curious look. He didn't look worried, just thoughtful.

"That sounds a lot like an aura to me," he said finally looking at his family. Lily bit her lip, and Harry looked fascinating.

'Aura... like a projection of a person's magical core?'

"In theory..." Lily said, sounding uncertain. "Harry, honey, can you describe one for us?"

Harry frowned in concentration and focused on a harried man with premature balding. Slowly, colors began to bleed around him, and Harry could make out specific strands of color.

'The brown haired man across the road, there's a sheen on kelly green around him, clinging closely to his person. There are flecks of grey and yellow in it.' Harry signed after a moment. James raised an eyebrow.

"Sounds a lot like an aura to me." he said, sounding smug. Lily felt as though they were missing a big piece to the puzzle, that the answer was right in front of them.

"James," she choked out, eyes growing wide. "Rowena Ravenclaw said something about this."

There is something you must know of the power the Dark Lord knows not. Harry has unlocked within himself a great power, one previously unknown to mankind. This is the Soul Sense. He has extraordinary power over the sections of his being. His mind, his aura and his soul.

"Merlin." James gasped, remembering at the same time Lily did.

'What?' Harry looked very confused.

"Your dad's right, Harry. You are seeing people's auras." Harry grinned and hugged his mom. Lily enjoyed the hug, touch being something she got precious little nowadays. But she couldn't help but wonder what more was in store for her son after this extraordinary display of power.

-HPSS-

Lily, James, and Harry walked into the apothecary, a trunk full of wizarding necessities floating behind them. Lily looked uncertain, and James looked confident, as usual. But the only visible person, Harry, had a look of excited apprehensiveness on his face.

"Are you sure we should go through with this potion?" Lily fretted, sticking close by her son.

"How else are we going to hide Harry's rainbow eyes from Dumblebore?" Lily sighed, but said nothing.

James nudged Harry towards the counter, giving him a nod of encouragement. Harry pulled out the list of ingredients and equipment his mother had dictated to him and passed it to the thin, gaunt man standing at the counter. The man's eyes widened at the array of expensive items, but faithfully said nothing. He went to the back of the shop and started pulling out herbs and sticking them into a pewter cauldron Harry had requested. Seventeen minutes later, the man came back with a cauldron full of supplies and a silver knife. He set the cauldron heavily on the counter and added up the cost, which came to one hundred seventeen galleons. Harry payed the extravagant fee without even hesitating and called on his magic to lighten the heavy load so he could carry it. He felt a bit of his magic rush to his call, and he picked up the potions supplies with ease and put them in the magically enlarged trunk so he wouldn't have to carry it. He nodded to the man and left the shop.

"One more stop!" James beamed happily as he lightly steered his son towards a store specializing in familiars. If Harry could squeal, he would have. As soon as he set foot into the shop, he was inundated with the bright auras of the magical animals, which he still hadn't gotten a handle on blocking out yet. He blinked a couple time to tone down the overwhelming display, and after a couple seconds, he was able to see just flickers of colors instead of bright, blinding glares.

"Pick one out Harry," James said happily, "and pick wisely. A familiar could save your life." Harry gleefully ran into the depths of the shop. "We'll meet you back out here!" he called to Harry.

There were a lot of snakes with green and black flickers of light, some brighter than others. Curiously, Harry found he could understand what they were saying.

_:Great, another little brat here to pick uss up:_ one complained. Harry found himself able to hiss back a reply.

_:Don't worry, I won't pick you up if you don't want:_ he said quietly, instinctively knowing that being able to talk to a snake would be considered abnormal.

_:It speakss!:_ A young one hissed in excitement. The whole tank seemed to come alive.

_:Speaker, speaker!:_ Several cried. Harry looked about the shop, but no one seemed to noticed the disturbance.

_:Silverscaless:_ Harry hissed furtively at an older looking snake. All of the others quieted down, looking at him curiously.

_:Yes, speaker?:_

_:Is there any familiar here that'ss compatible with soul magicss?:_ The elder snake looked at Harry and spoke after a brief pause.

_:One must be careful when dabbling in soul magicss:_ The snake said cautiously. _:There was one, before you, that spoke alsso. He dabbled in soul magicss and desstroyed his soul:_ Harry thought for a moment before answering.

_:It iss an innate ability. I was born with it:_ The snake looked as though he was considering what Harry had said, before nodded slightly.

_:There:_ the snake said, pointing his tail towards a pen full of dogs._ :There iss one not like the otherss there. The owner brought him in last week thinking he wass a dog, but the rabbit brain had actually picked up a wolf pup without knowing it:_

Harry bowed in thanks and made his way towards the pen. When he got there, the puppies began to squirm and bark excitedly, each vying for his attention. Some were bigger than others, and all of them were different colors. But, the one that caught his attention was a slightly bigger pup in the corner, with blue eyes, a black muzzle, and a gray coat. Harry focused on seeing his aura and saw it was silver with flecks of blood red in it. Harry knew immediately that this was the one the snake was talking about. Carefully, he picked up the pup and held it close to his chest, letting his magical intertwine with the innate magic of his new familiar.

When he brought it up to the counter, the man's eyes widened.

"Merlin, kid. You're the first person to pick that one up without getting bitten!" The wolf growled at the owner and he held up his hands in surrender. "Sheesh. He seems to like you." Harry smiled and pulled out nine galleons, which the man accepted readily. Harry began to leave the shop, excited about the coming years filled with magic. He couldn't wait to go to Hogwarts.

**Take time to review, and errrrrr help me name the familiar. AHHH! I suck at naming things. Next chapter, they'll complete the potion, and then the chapter after that, they'll be off to Hogwarts!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey everybody! *screams internally at the response this story is getting* You've all been so good to me, sticking through my infrequent updating (sigh). Thank you.**

**Well, I got a lot of feedback for the name of the familiar, and I have... chosen. Thanks a lot for the help... you guys are seriously more creative than I am.**

**Big huge thank yous to those who reviewed: , sapphyredragon-rn, .16, Rainbow2007, x-marks-the-spot1974, ultima-owner, bananas r gd, PurpleBullet, Seraphinus, Cassandra30, ceo55, RangerManaInSnuggieWar, Hau, Lightningblade49, Dr Stranger, FroBoy, Penny is wise, MaeSilverpaws1, and femalefarrier.**

**"Talking"**  
**'Sign Language'**  
**Thinking**  
**:Parseltongue:**

Chapter 6:

Harry felt a little sad on his way back to Privet Drive. He had hopped onto the Knight Bus, carefully concealing his new familiar with a cloaking spell. The ride home was in silence; the somber mood was seemingly infectious. Harry couldn't believe he had to wait another five years before he could go to Hogwarts. It seemed unfair.

James looked at his son, who was brooding and trying desperately to hide it. He knew why Harry was so serious; his first foray into the Wizarding Community had been bitter sweet. One one side, he got a whole trunk full of supplies and a familiar to keep him busy. On the other hand, Diagon Alley gave Harry a taste of what he was missing out on. It seemed unfair.

Lily sat on the left side of Harry, lost in her own thoughts. The ritual they were going to perform was risky at best. One mistake could be catastrophic, even fatal. Even so, Slytherin's warning rang sinister in her head:_ ...be wary of Albus, do not trust him._ The visit to Gringotts had only proved the founder's words true. Dumbledore had lost sight of what was important. And that was why they had to do the ritual, and soon. It seemed unfair.

Lily and James were brought out of their musings by a tentative tug on their shirts. Harry looked up at them with gray eyes, looking cautious.

"Harry?" Lily prompted gently.

'Something happened in the familiar shop that I don't understand' Harry signed tentatively. The father and mother remained silent, letting their son continue. 'When I was looking for a familiar, I looked at some snakes... and I asked them some questions. They were all surprised I could speak to them. Is it... abnormal that I can speak to snakes?'

James stiffened a little, looking at Lily. Lily, on the other hand, seemed unconcerned.

"It's a very rare gift," James said slowly, choosing his words. "One that not many wizards possess."

"I have a feeling that it may have been a gift from someone." The former marauder looked at his wife questioningly. Lily continued. "I remember the day we chose to stay with Harry as if it were yesterday... at one point, when we were talking to Slytherin, a very heavy magic stirred in the air. I think he was giving Harry the ability to speak to snakes."

'So it's not bad?' Harry signed hopefully.

"No," James said firmly. "But it would be best if you kept it a secret from your peers when you go to Hogwarts. The last wizard known to speak to snakes, well, speak Parseltongue, was a very bad man." Harry's eyes flashed with recognition.

'Voldemort.'

"Yes." James said heavily. They had explained the situation with the Dark Lord when Harry started asking why nobody could see them. Sometimes the raven haired boy astounded him with his maturity. "Voldemort."

-HPSS-

The Potters crept into Privet Drive around nine o'clock at night, one hour before the Dursley's were due back. Harry was astounded by the things he was able to see that he couldn't before... there was a huge, red and black haze lingering around the house. It made him queasy looking at it, all of the unsettling colors swirling around. When he mentioned it to his parents, they looked uncertain and a bit worried. The subject dropped quickly.

"So kid, what are you going to name the mutt?" James asked as they went back into the cupboard, Harry's prison.

'He's a wolf, dad,' Harry signed with a look of exasperation.

"Whatever. What's the verdict?" Harry uncloaked the wolf and it yipped happily. With a look of concentration on his face and a palm outstretched, he soundproofed the room and expanded it a little to accommodate the canine. Lily and James shared surprised looks, Harry's magical strength seemed to have grown in the past day alone.

'Liam*' Harry said after a pause.

"Did you pick that one up at the library?" Lily asked with a light in her eye. James sighed. The six year old spent too much time in the library. A few years ago, he would have never guessed he would have fathered a nerd.

'Yep,' Harry said proudly, scratching the wolf. The familiar nuzzled the Boy-Who-Lived's hand, drawing a smile from the mute. 'It fits.'

-HPSS-

It had taken a few months, and countless setbacks (it was hard to brew a potion in a cupboard without drawing attention) but Harry, Lily and James finally completed the potion that would hide his changing eyes. It was a harvest moon, which Lily had explained would strengthen the potion.

"This is where it gets very tricky," The fiery redhead intoned.

"It hasn't been tricky so far?" James complained. Lily hit him on the back of the head. Harry giggled.

"Pay attention." Lily scolded, and all humor left the enclosed space. It was time to focus. "Harry, sweetie, I need you to focus." Harry nodded solemnly, eyes silver as the moon outside. He looked painfully tired, and the worried parents knew that all of this was too much for a six year old, no wonder how extraordinary, to handle. By day, Harry worked all the time on the strenuous chores the Dursley's gave him, and barely got enough to eat to sustain the work. At night, he was working tirelessly on the potion. Now it had taken its toll.

"You know what we told you to do pumpkinhead," James said quietly. "Be careful." Harry nodded, and drew the silver knife needed for the ritual. The vial of finished potion sat next to him, uncorked and ready to go. It smelled like pine and raspberry seltzer, giving the occupants of the room a bit of a lightheaded feeling. But Harry forced himself to focus, exhausted or not. He channeled his magic into the knife, and brought it to the side of his neck. Carefully, and lightly, he cut his neck, sketching what looked like a ladder with two crooked rungs. The rune of change. It hurt a little, but he didn't cut deeply enough for it to really bite. When he finished, he drank the potion. At first, nothing happened and Harry wondered if he put enough magic into the blade while he was performing the ritual. But, his fears were assuaged when a golden light emitted from his wound, and a tingling sensation was felt over his eyes and neck area. Liam growled when Harry's eyes rolled into his head and he passed out.

*** Liam, which means unwavering protector, suggested by sapphyredragon-rn. Thank you!**

**Take time to review! And, if any y'all writers need a beta, PM me! I just made a beta profile.**


	7. Chapter 7

**I know my updates are dreadfully slow but I can't do anything about it. I'm not going to make idle promises of faster updates, the fact of the matter is that I have four stories going at once and I'm applying for colleges. Sorry!**

**Big thanks to mizzrazz72, Canuto-90, loretta537, ILikeComps, Penny is wise, Rainbow2007, Goldencoyote, This guy doesnt have a clue, Luiz4200, ultima-owner, Cassandra30, Cry-Pom, ceo55, xbamsod, and My Alternate Reality for the reviews!**

**Warning for this chapter: slight abuse. It only happens once, and it's in this chapter. I'm sorry if this offends anyone, and if you're not sure if you can read it, I will have a summary at the end of the chapter. It's very mild, I am keeping the k+ rating because I am confident a nine year old can handle it, but you can never be too sure... I don't want to hurt anyone.**

**"Talking"**  
**'Sign Language'**  
**Thinking**  
**:Parseltongue:**

Chapter 7:

_Three Years Later_

Harry huddled in a corner of his cupboard, hiding his face from his concerned parents. He hadn't moved in three hours, he just sat there with his head buried in his arms, trembling. James and Lily knew something had happened, but their wary son was even more subdued than normal.

"Harry? Harry, please talk to us!" Lily pleaded. She placed a comforting hand on his back, only to him shrug it off sharply. The anguished mother withdrew sharply, as if struck.

"Harry," James said, trying to sound stern. "What happened." When his son didn't move, he injected more force into his voice, taking advantage of the fact that no one outside the cupboard could hear. "Harry, tell us!" For a moment, it seemed like the father's efforts had been in vain, but Harry tensed and lifted his head slowly. His now permanent blue eyes shone with tears, and his ashen countenance made the scar from the ritual stand out sharply. But James and Lily weren't paying attention to his eyes or his scars, their focus was trained on the blossoming bruise on Harry's face.

"What the hell is this?" James said softly, barely hiding his shaking hands.

'Uncle Vernon hit me.'

0O0

_"Boy! Make your Aunt Petunia and me some tea!" Harry's uncle, Vernon, shouted from behind the morning paper._

_Harry dutifully got up from a stool he was reading his potions textbook on and got out two mugs. Today was a good day. Dudley had gone to play at Pierce's house, meaning the Privet Drive was pleasantly quiet. He had let Liam out to hunt in the woods a couple miles away from the house; his familiar had grown a lot since three years ago and needed to stretch his legs. The Dursley's had even allowed him some reading time._

_Harry's musings were interrupted when the kettle began to whistle._

_"Stop that ruckus," Uncle Vernon grumbled, flipping the pages of his paper impatiently. Taking note of his uncle's ire, the raven haired boy moved a bit quicker than normal when pouring the scalding water into the mugs. He hastily stuck tea bags in the both of them and then bustled them to the table, not looking for trouble. That was his mistake. Time slowed down as the undersized boy tripped over his own feet and spilled the boiling water all over his unsuspecting uncle._

_He blinked._

_And then he was on the floor, a sharp pain in his jaw and a spluttering whale of a man standing over him. Neither of them moved. Vernon's face was contorted with pain, pants wet from where Harry had spilled all of the tea. The savior of the wizarding world brought his hand gingerly up to his throbbing face, and rubbed it carefully, not daring to do anything else. Several moments passed, and when Harry looked back at his attacker, he was standing uncertainly. The man was staring at Harry's bruised face, not quite believing that he had just smacked a _child_._

_"Harry-" his uncle said thickly, using his name for the first time. But Harry turned away, scrambling back from his large uncle to the relative safety of his cupboard._

0O0

"Oh, Harry," Lily said softly, sadness heavy in her voice. She enveloped Harry in a warm hug, not letting go when he began to sob silently.

"That's it, we're leaving." James growled. "I have relatives in Wales, we can move there until you go to Hogwarts."

"James, we can't be irrational," Lily said sharply, hating to be the voice of reason. "We don't even know if they're still alive."

'They aren't' Harry signed morosely. James inhaled sharply, puzzled and afraid.

"What?" James asked softly.

'The family tree that I got from the Goblins three years ago indicates deceased members... I'm sorry dad'

Harry buried his head in his mother's arms, a feeling of hopelessness and fear creeping into him for the first time since the ritual three years ago. Although it had been a success, the after effects drained his magic so severely and suddenly that he had gone into magical shock, paralyzing him from the waist down for two days. He had to rely on his familiar to bring him food and water for that duration, not knowing if he would ever be able to move again. It had been the scariest moment of his life, even scarier than the nightmares he got of the night his parents died. He didn't dare tell his mom and dad about those though.

"We can still go to the Leaky Cauldron," James argued, not one to give up easily. "There are long term rooms that can be rented."

"It's way too risky," Lily shot back.

"Riskier than my son getting beaten by that monster?" James shouted, voice rising.

"He's nine years old!" Lily shouted back, voice rising to match her husband's. "Even with his advanced magical abilities, he's not ready to live in the world alone!"

"He has us!" At this point, Lily had let go of her son and gotten up to face James.

"And what use will we be? We don't know what's going on any more than Harry does, we can't defend him, we can't do anything."

Harry watched his parents argue helplessly, already knowing that he could never leave the Dursley's. He wasn't stupid. He had worked out what the red and black goop surrounding the house was a long time ago. According to his Ancient Runes book, the red and black indicated a blood ward. And blood wards almost always had an alarm tied to it. If he left for more than twenty four hours, the caster would be alerted. Something told him that wasn't a good thing.

Closing his eyes, he extended his magical vision to the surrounding area. He locked onto the now familiar red and black entity, and poked around for any new developments in the restrictive magic. He noticed around the perimeter of the ward, there was a yellow, white and gray residue floating at the edges. Someone's magical signature. The caster had been there recently.

"We have to do something!" The argument had reached its peak, and Harry decided it was high time he told his parent's about his discovery.

Reaching out his hand, he released a bit of magic, which took the form of a rogue firework that spiraled around the confined space. The blue sparks drew his parents' attention immediately, and when the firework fizzled out, they looked ready to listen to what he had to say. They had grown accustomed to his odd ways of asking for attention as the years past, seeing as he was unable to use his voice.

'We won't be able to leave the Dursley's.' Harry signed gravely. James looked like he was about to interject, for Harry held up a hand for silence. 'The house is surrounded by a blood ward. The caster has been here recently, in the past few hours.'

"Dumbledore." Lily said with barely restrained anger.

"Past few hours... Harry, that was right when Vernon hit you!" James exclaimed.

James and Lily were both thinking of the same thing... Gryffindor's words to them eight long years ago.

_He is not the man you think he is._

'If it is Dumbledore who is behind this,' Harry signed 'I have reason to believe that this ward not only alerts him when we leave for prolonged periods, but also when I am hurt.'

"That means he knew you had been hit," James growled. "But he didn't think it was grave enough to warrant you being moved."

"He didn't even check, did he?" Lily asked angrily, her redheaded fury showing.

'No,' Harry signed with a frown. 'Even if he had checked on my when he was invisible, I still would have been able to see his aura. Chances are, he showed up, scanned the area magically to make sure I wasn't dead, and then left.'

"This is outrageous!" James started pacing back and forth. "And to think, I trusted that coot for so many years... I signed up for his bloody order!" He faced Lily. "You tried to warn me that it was a bad idea, but I blindly trusted Dumbledore instead of you." His anger abruptly turned to sadness. "I wonder if-"

"Don't James," Lily said softly. "It's not your fault. It isn't even completely Dumbledore's fault. It's Voldemort who killed us." She leaned forward and kissed her husband chastely on the cheek.

"What do we do now," James lamented, feeling a bit like a cornered animal.

'We wait for Hogwarts,' Harry signed determinedly, 'And then we show them what we Potters are made of.'

**Suffering from SEVERE writers block, and a lot of school. English is taking all of my writing energy and leaving none for fanfiction. So this isn't great... it's mostly filler. Next chapter, SCHOOL SHOPPING for Hogwarts and then... Hogwarts! It took a while, but I needed to set up some really intensive backstory stuff so I didn't have to cram it later.**

**Summary of chapter: Lily and James discover that Harry was slapped in the face by Vernon when he spilled hot tea all over him. They argue about leaving, but find that there is no way that they can. They're trapped. There is some discussion of the blood wards around the house and Dumbledore's suspicious motives. Also, the ritual is confirmed to have worked, but with startling after effects: Harry was paralyzed for two days. The only thing they can do for now is wait until they can leave for Hogwarts, which is in two years.**

**Thanks for reading, take time to review :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Wow. Reminder that I don't care for or accept flames on any of my work. For those of you who do not know, a flame is a direct attack on the author of a story, without offering any advice on how to better the work... such as... "why the fuck is harry mute? you gave no explanation on it. also, what's with him crying all the time in private? i think canon harry had more nerves than this angst-y shit." versus "You need to work on X, Y, and Z, but your A was okay". Our dear anon who decided to make me upset enough not to update this for months, apparently, failed to read CHAPTER 2, where these things he/she complained about were explained.**

**Fortunately to all of you who do enjoy this story, the good feedback FAR outweighed the bad. And for that, I thank you.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed: ILikeComps, god of all, ceo55, ladysavay, bookwormrdd, Arrow Riddari, Rainbow2007, Cassandra30, Dr Stranger, Luiz4200, Penny is wise, Leah M. W, FroBoy, jbfritz, GreenCupsRhythm, anarion87, Guest, and ToSeeBlindfolded.**

**(Not beta-ed)**

_~Two Years Later-July 29, 1991~_

"Harry! Get down here this instant!" a shrill voice called up the stairs. Harry stirred slightly, but ultimately rolled over and placed his pillow over his head. A moment later, another voice joined the shrill one.

"Boy! Do what your aunt tells you!" Harry moaned silently and got out of bed, rubbing his eyes and trying in vain to flatten his hair. He caught a bit of movement out of the corner of his eye, and barely had time to brace himself before he was slammed with the heavy weight of his familiar.

'Liam! Stop it!' Harry signed with a huge grin. The wolf immediately got down, looking up at Harry with intelligent blue eyes. Harry gave Liam a quick pat, which the wolf responded with a gentle nip, before leaving the room. Lily and James flickered into existence beside him, and fell in step with him.

"Morning!" Lily chirped, brilliant green eyes shimmering with mischief. James said nothing, but he was tensed with excitement.

'Alright, where were you guys earlier,' signed Harry as he walked down the stairs. James couldn't seem to take it any longer.

"We broke into Azkaban!" he shouted.

'WHAT?' Harry's hand movements were sloppy as he came to a halt. 'What did you two do?'

"Well, we scared the hell out of some Dementors," the man said proudly. If he couldn't prank people anymore, than he would just have to make do with creepy floating skeletons. They couldn't see James or Lily, but they could sense their presence, which confused them to no end. "And we went to see Sirius."

'How's he doing?' Harry asked with interest, beginning to walk again

"Well, he's doing loads better since you put the wards on his cell door. The Dementors avoid it like the plague," Lily said thoughtfully.

"I still don't understand why you couldn't let him see you," James pouted.

'Because,' the preteen motioned with a roll of his eyes, 'if he had seen me, he would probably have gone mad. He would have thought he was hallucinating. We have to wait until the time is right for him to get out.'

"Why isn't now the right time?" James whined.

'It doesn't feel right,' Harry signed honestly. James scowled.

"Even if Pettigrew was a rotten traitor, I can't imagine Sirius killing him," Lily mused. "He's probably alive somewhere, the rat. If we find him, we could probably get Sirius out."

'That's like finding a needle in a haystack,' if Harry had a voice, he would have groaned. 'He could be all the way in Scandinavia for all we know.'

"Harry!" Petunia Dursley scolded as he shuffled into the dining room. "I called for you a quarter of an hour ago!"

'Sorry,' Harry signed, ducking his head. Petunia sighed. Ever since the... incident... two years ago, she and Vernon had been trying to make an effort to treat the boy better. Hitting him had caused them come to their senses. Freakish or not, Harry was still just a little boy. And they would treat him like one. Unfortunately, Harry still acted skittish around them, as if expecting them to go back to treating him horribly.

Lily looked at her sister with interest as James wandered off towards the kitchen, oblivious of Petunia's internal dilemma. The red head marveled at how much Harry's situation had changed over the past two years. He was still relatively unsure around the Dursleys, but he had gained a bit of weight, no longer wraith like. He was still a bit lean, but it was probably because of James' blood coursing through him. Petunia and Vernon no longer kept him in the cupboard, instead they gave him Dudley's spare room. Harry was also allowed to eat at the table, and no longer cooked every meal. Although the boy was still a bit overworked, it wasn't as brutal as it used to be. Dudley even seemed to be extending the olive branch to raven haired youth. Harry tentatively accepted it.

Perhaps most shocking was the Dursley's softening views on magic. After Harry had fixed a terribly leaking ceiling during a particularly fierce storm, they didn't seem so appalled by it. They didn't like it still, but they allowed Harry to use it with his chores as long as they weren't around.

"It's fine, just don't be late again." The skinny woman said in a clipped tone before stalking out of the room, feeling uncomfortable. Harry made himself a bowl of cereal and started to eat it as Vernon came in. The large man fumbled around and made some toast, before sitting across from Harry. They both ate with their heads down, refusing to make eye contact. Lily sighed and James came back into the room, grinning like a madman.

"Harry, HARRY!" he shouted, causing Harry to start and Vernon to give the boy a suspicious look. Harry blushed and glared at his dad, who remained blissfully unaware. Lily rolled her eyes. "The mail came in! Go get the mail!"

Harry looked at Vernon, who was still staring uncertainly at his odd behavior.

'I'm going to grab the mail,' Harry signed tentatively, getting up from the table.

Vernon picked up the word 'mail' and grunted, "Grab me the newspaper." Harry nodded and left the room.

A minute later, he re entered the dining room with a fist full of letters, smiling. He gave his uncle the newspapers before picking out a letter that was addressed to him. His heart began to beat faster and he looked up at his parents, who were nodding to him, confirming his suspicions. This must be his Hogwarts letter. He opened it hastily and marveled at his acceptance letter.

**Dear Mr. Potter,**

**We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.**

**Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.**

**Yours sincerely,**

**_Minerva McGonagall_**

**Minerva McGonagall**

**Deputy Headmistress**

"My son, off to Hogwarts!" Lily sniffed, looking close to tears.

"That means we get to go back too! Merlin Harry, the things I can show you..." James crowed. Lily's eyes cleared up in an instance.

"JAMES CHARLUS POTTER!" Lily scolded. "Absolutely not!"

Harry pouted, and flipped to the second page.

**HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY**

**UNIFORM**

**First-year students will require:**

**1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)**

**2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear**

**3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)**

**4. One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)**

**Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags.**

**COURSE BOOKS**

**All students should have a copy of each of the following:**

**The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) ****by Miranda Goshawk**

**A History of Magic ****by Bathilda Bagshot**

**Magical Theory ****by Adalbert Waffling**

**A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration ****by Emeric Switch**

**One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi ****by Phyllida Spore**

**Magical Drafts and Potions ****by Arsenius Jigger**

**Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them ****by Newt Scamander**

**The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection ****by Quentin Trimble**

**OTHER EQUIPMENT**

**1 wand**

**1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)**

**1 set glass or crystal phials**

**1 telescope**

**1 set brass scales**

**Students may also bring, if they desire, an owl OR a cat OR a toad.**

**PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS**

**ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICK**

**Yours sincerely,**

_**Lucinda Thomsonicle-Pocus**_

**Lucinda Thomsonicle-Pocus**

**Chief Attendant of Witchcraft Provisions**

Harry pursed his lips together in thought. He already had most of the supplies from previous excursions to Diagon Alley with his parents. He had all of the books and had read all of them, and he had the wizarding cloak and gloves that were required. The only things he really needed were the uniform, his wand, and a telescope. And, of course, there was the problem that his familiar was a wolf, which was neither a cat, owl, or toad. He could disguise Liam as a dog, but that still wasn't allowed. He'd have to pull some strings to get this to work.

James continued a running monologue about how he had snuck a broom into Hogwarts in his first year, and Lily tuned him out. Harry was beginning to look apprehensively at Vernon, who was still reading his paper, not noticing the fateful letter in Harry's hands. Finally, after a lifetime, Harry got up and walked over to his uncle. He lightly prodded the giant man and waited patiently for a response.

When Vernon put his paper down, finally, he looked at what Harry was holding out to him. He read the first few lines before turning white and shoving the parchment back towards the preteen.

"Congratulations boy," the words seemed to have a hard time coming out of Vernon's mouth, but Harry appreciated the effort. The man narrowed his eyes. "Does this cost money?" Harry shook his head earnestly. "Then I have no issue with it. I'll give you a ride to the station in September." Harry signed 'thank you' profusely, which made Vernon blush before shooing Harry out irritably. "Get out of here," he grumbled, going back to his paper.

"You know what this means," Lily said with a smile.

'School shopping!'

0O0

Harry no longer had to take the Knight Bus, he just apparated to Diagon Alley. He wore a dark cloak with a hood to cover his head, and Liam loped at his heels menacingly. The effect was rather sinister, but the shy boy didn't want to attract any unwanted attention with his famous scar. The crowd parted around him, and he was spared any conversation.

He made his way quickly to the shabby wand shop owned by Ollivander. When he entered the store, he was nearly bowled over by the ancient magic lingering in the room. Bright colors exploded from the shelves, and the raven haired boy had to blink several times to dull the auras of the wands. Everything permeated magic, and it made something inside Harry shudder in a not entirely pleasant manner. Something in his core was twinging, and it was making Harry tremble a little from the pain of it.

"Are you alright?" Lily asked, concerned. Harry's magical core was different from everyone else's, and it made her worry about repercussions of things that would normally not be harmful to anyone else.

'I'm fine,' Harry signed, quickly composing himself. Today was a special day, and he wasn't going to ruin it by something so trivial. Lily didn't look convinced, and James seemed like he was about to protest, but they were interrupted when Liam began to growl at a corner of the store. Something shifted, and with a start Harry noticed a large, oppressive blue and purple aura coming from where Liam was facing. It had flecks of gray and yellow in it, which made Harry frown in thought. He had never seen an aura with so many colors in it.

After a moment, a silver haired man stepped out of the shadows, and Liam whined and laid down.

"Quite an intelligent wolf you've got there, Mr. Potter," the man, Ollivander spoke softly. Harry, blue eyes wide, took his hood off.

'How...' he signed, hoping the man understood sign language. Fortunately, he did.

"I've been waiting for you," he said simply. Harry blinked a couple times to make sure he was dreaming up this omniscient man, but he was real. He looked back to his parents for guidance, only to find that they weren't where they had been standing moments ago. "Now," the man said, oblivious to Harry's panic, "let's get you a wand." The man produced his wand and waved it. Harry felt his body tingle, and his arm measurements and height appeared on a piece of parchment. His core throbbed warningly.

Ollivander disappeared into the back of the store and came back moments later with a few boxes. He gave the first one to Harry with an expectant look on his face. When Harry didn't move, he frowned.

"Go on, try it! Eight and a half inches, oak, with pegasus tail hair. Very good for... defense," he said with a smirk, as if making a joke that only he understood. Harry picked up the wand and his magic whip lashed, rejecting it. All of the glass in the room shattered, but Ollivander didn't even look phased. "Well, obviously your magic overloaded that wand's core. Very curious." He waved his own wand and repaired the broken glass. "Hmmm... I wonder... how about this one." The old man gave him a box, and immediately Harry dropped it, feeling something oily all over it. On closer inspection, a sickly yellow magical residue stuck to it. It looked like a compulsion charm. Someone wanted him to open that box.

'What's in there?' Harry asked, keeping his distance from the box. The man frowned.

"I... don't quite remember. I don't even know why I grabbed this one." He looked at the label on the box. "Holly, eleven inches, phoenix feather. If I recall correctly, the bird who gave his feather for this wand only gave..." the man opened the box, and immediately Harry's magic went haywire and rebelled. The boy fell to his knees, and the wand combusted. Ollivander looked stymied. "Oh my... it looks like your magic thought that this wand was the one to give you your scar. Very curious indeed... it seems as though that was not the wand for you."

'I'm very sorry, Mr. Ollivander,' Harry signed weakly. The man simply waved him off, and gave him another box.

"Yew, which is ironically known as the tree of death. The particular tree grew in the graveyard located at Godric's Hollow." Harry tensed feeling his magic starting to stir again. "Thestral wing membrane, nine and three quarters inches." Harry meekly picked up the wand and practically felt his magic pur in contentment. The shelves nearby rattled with the force of Harry's core rapidly flexing. With this wand in hand, Harry felt his magic hone in and become crisper and more defined, less uncontrolled. He had to take a couple steps back as he began to see imprints of magic from students that had come in months, even years ago move about the room. The Boy-Who-Lived's eyes glazed over... and he could hear faint snippets of conversations from the past.

"Harry?" Ollivander interrupted, smiling enigmatically. Harry felt his magic retreat, not realizing that he had let it spread all over the room. It laid dormant in tight coils under his skin, making him feel antsy. A section of magical core still tingled uncomfortably. Harry ignored it.

'How much do I owe you sir?' Harry signed, feeling like he had just run a marathon.

"A wand that fits so well with a wizard is a thing of legend, and to me is pay all its own."

**Feedback is appreciated. We'll figure out where Harry's parents went next chapter, as well as finish up the shopping. Maybe Harry will meet some people! Any suggestions? Draco for sure... but who else? Thanks for reading.**


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